1Natalia knew now. She was going to die.
She stood at the window in the Tsuchikage's office and sighed softly into the warm night as she waited for her 'master' to return from meeting with the council. She knew that the meeting was about what to do with her now that the leader of the civilian council had made their demands known. They would riot and start a civil war that Iwa could scarcely afford unless the ninja council and the Kage agreed to do one thing.
Execute Natalia.
She had known that it would come. Being a half-demon in a society that hated half of her parentage had not made her life any easier, what made it worse was the fact that her heritage was proudly on display when she didn't wear the demonic illusion that hid her proud, erect wolf ears and silky tail from human eyes. Personally, Natalia loved her extra appendages. Her ears sat on top of her head and stood tall, black with forest green tips. Her tail was the same, but if she went into her animal form it would become slightly bushy and the tip would darken from forest green to a full black. It was a form that she truly felt free in, but she knew that she wasn't free. Ever since her parents had been executed by their home village of Kusagakure and her, sold off to Iwa as a slave for the Tsuchikage, she had been a prisoner inside her own skin. The new Tsuchikage liked her and wanted her to be free, but the fact that the head of the council held the key to her freedom made that wish impossible. She didn't necessarily hate calling him master, but he didn't insist on it unless the council was meeting, and otherwise he pretty much left her to her own devices until he needed her for the individually coded 'U-class' missions, the missions that were kage level and reserved only for her. The council had hoped to kill her that way for years, but they hadn't succeeded yet because of her youki. Nat was jolted out of her ruminations by the arrival of the Tsuchikage, looking exhausted and drawn. He slumped down into his chair and tossed his hat into the corner, his robes following in an unceremonious pile.
"Oh Nat, I tried."
Nat simply nodded, knowing that any effort on the Kage's part would have been doomed to fail from the outset.
"What are you going to do Nat?"
Natalia finally turned fully from the window and stared at the one person she could consider a friend.
"What can I do Tsuchikage, but acquiesce to the demands of the council? If they want to execute me then I will walk to the stage with my head held high. It is the only satisfaction that I can have."
The Kage sighed deeply and slouched back into his seat, pondering the problem of his young friend. The Kage had taken over for his predecessor after his death at the hands of a Suna missing nin, which had soured relations between the two countries significantly. The Kage was about as old as Konoha's Professor, so he was looking out for a successor whom he thought would be appropriate to take up the mantle of Tsuchikage. He'd only found one candidate and he was a last resort as he hated Nat as much as the council did. He growled and pushed his mind to think of something to save his young friend. She was only seventeen, she didn't deserve to be executed for what she was born as. He thought long and hard, deep into the night after excusing Nat, though he knew that she had merely ensconced herself into the shadowed corner of the office. She never left before him and often stood watch over him at night, as she needed far less sleep than humans did. He thought well into the next morning, refusing to meet with anyone until he had figured something out. It was nearly eight in the morning when some faded memory tickled his mind and he stood abruptly and strode to his library, fingering various scrolls until he found one covered in dust and crumbling from the poor upkeep of the library. He made a mental note to have someone fix it so that the scrolls didn't deteriorate in there before pulling out the scroll he wanted and striding back to his desk, breaking the seal in the shape of an hour glass as he went. Nat showed herself, pulling away from the shadows to stand behind the Kage and read the scroll over his shoulder as she was wont to do.
"I've got it Nat! This is how we'll save you!"
The woman cocked an eyebrow at her master and nodded for him to continue.
"This is an arranged marriage between a son of the Kazekage and a citizen of Iwagakure. If I can talk the current Kazekage into honoring this agreement, I can get you in as a citizen of Suna and the council will have no say!"
"A marriage? Who would marry a wolf hanyou?"
"Who says they have to know?"
"It isn't really something one can hide Master."
The Kage waved her concerns off and shrugged.
"We'll deal with that when the time comes. Now go pack, we're going to Suna."
"Perhaps a missive to the Kazekage would be prudent?"
"Hmm? Oh! Yes, that would probably help us wouldn't it?"
Nat rolled her eyes slightly in profound affection as the Kage pulled out a scroll and began writing his letter to the Godaime Kazekage, a man by the name of Sabaku no Gaara, while Nat went to pack her bags for an extended stay in the desert.